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Bacolod, Lanao del Sur placed under MECQ amid COVID-19 spread


President Rodrigo Duterte has placed Bacolod City and Lanao del Sur under the more stringent modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.

Roque told reporters that Duterte has approved a resolution of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases recommending MECQ in the two areas from September 8 to 30.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the government’s COVID-19 response, made the recommendation to Duterte after observing an increase in infections in Bacolod and Lanao del Sur.

As of September 5, Bacolod has logged 1,723 confirmed cases, 1,017 of which remain active,

Lanao del Sur, meanwhile, has recorded 370 COVID-19 cases as of September 4. This includes 114 active cases, 243 recoveries, and 13 deaths.

Experts from the University of the Philippines recommended last August 31 that MECQ be imposed over the cities of Bacolod, Iligan, and Iloilo due to a surge in infections.

However, only Iligan City was placed under MECQ when Duterte announced the latest quarantine restrictions on the same day. 

Metro Manila, Tacloban, Bulacan, and Batangas will remain under the more relaxed general community quarantine until the end of the month. 

The Philippines has 238,727 COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon. -NB, GMA News

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